Do you have plastic bread or bun bags that you were going to throw away? The John Howard Society could use them to help the homeless. 

The bags are used to help clients keep their feet dry during the winter months, explains John Howard Society director Jody Oakes. 

“Your feet become wet very, very quickly. Your socks become wet, your shoes become wet and a lot of people have no means of changing or drying out their socks. So, we give people dry socks and then you put the bread bag over the sock before you put your foot into the shoe or into your boot,” Oakes said. 

She added that the bags are in very high demand. For example, she said they gave away around 10 bags on Friday morning alone. 

Especially during last week’s cold snap, Oakes got emotional over how difficult it has been for our vulnerable population as temperatures dipped below -30 degrees. 

She said one of their biggest needs right now is mittens as they are having a hard time keeping up with demand. 

“We will go and purchase some more, but if anybody does have any extra mittens that they would be happy to give, we would gratefully accept those as well,” Oakes said. 

While knitted mitts are appreciated, Oakes says they are looking for heavy mitts that will protect better against the extreme cold. 

The John Howard Society will also welcome donations of warm clothes such as jackets, socks and toques.  

Anyone interested in donating can drop off their items at the John Howard Society office from Monday to Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 15 Hochelaga St. W. or, if you are unable to drop off the items, you can call the office and they will try to arrange a My Place case worker to pick up the item.